MAX MEADOWS, Va. – You could technically refer to Chilhowie’s Tyler Gonzalez and Bryce Robinson as rising sophomores since school is out for the summer.
You should definitely call them rising stars for how they’ve performed during their first year playing baseball on the varsity level.
Just as the duo has done all season long, Gonzalez and Robinson pitched with a poise and a presence that belied their ninth-grade status as they helped the Warriors earn a 7-3 victory over the Fort Chiswell Pioneers in the quarterfinals of the VHSL Class 1 state tournament on Tuesday afternoon.
Gonzalez was the winning pitcher after striking out eight over 5 2/3 innings. Robinson got the final four outs – escaping a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning – to notch his second save of 2026.
Those moments on the mound were among the reasons Chilhowie (19-8) reserved a spot in the state semifinals as the Warriors face the Rappahannock Raiders (21-4) at 9 a.m. on Friday at Salem’s Kiwanis Field. That happens to be a rematch of the 2024 Class 1 championship game in which Rappahannock recorded a 6-5 win.
Fort Chiswell sophomore ace Owen Jackson entered Tuesday's game with a 6-0 record and 1.167 ERA, but the NCAA Division I prospect was upstaged by a pair of freshmen playing in their first state tournament.
“Those two guys – they play way beyond their years, and you know what you are going to get out of them,” said Chilhowie coach Jeff Robinson. “They have a great mindset and the moment’s never too big.”
Gonzalez allowed 11 hits – all singles – but issued just one walk.
“That is definitely one of the best outings I’ve had,” Gonzalez said. “I was feeling a little better toward the end and was still feeling good with my fastball.”
Gonzalez has compiled an 8-2 record this season, so at this point he’s unfazed by getting the starting assignment in important contests.
“I just go out there and have fun and try to throw strikes,” Gonzalez said. “Some big moments I get nervous, but I just push through.”
Fort Chiswell (18-5) stranded nine baserunners as Gonzalez got outs when he needed them the most thanks to guile, guts, and good stuff.
“We didn’t come through in some situations and I felt like they did,” said Fort Chiswell coach Derrick Jackson. “Their pitcher did a good job of pounding the zone and I felt like we were watching strike three go by too much.”
Three straight singles by Fort Chiswell loaded the bases against Gonzalez with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Gonzalez didn’t cave and struck out Mac Phillips looking on his 100th and final pitch of the day. The right-hander fanned five of the last 10 batters he faced.
This kid just keeps getting better.
“Some kids lose velocity as the year goes on,” Jeff Robinson said. “I’ve seen it with different pitchers this year, but he’s gained some velocity. He’s peaking right now and we’re peaking as a team.”
After Gonzalez reached the 100-pitch mark – he'll be available for Saturday's title game if Chilhowie happens to make the finals – the coach of the Warriors called upon his son to come in with the bases packed, two outs and a steady rain falling.
No big deal, huh?
Facing Isaac Haislip of the Pioneers – who had delivered a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning in a 4-3 win over Auburn in the finals of the Region 1C tourney – Robinson got the slugger to fly out to senior first baseman Asher Chapman in foul territory. Chapman made a nice play on the ball and the large Chilhowie contingent that made the short trip up Interstate 81 to witness the game roared with approval when he gloved the ball.
“It was big pressure moment coming in with the bases loaded,” Bryce Robinson said. “I persevered through it and just focused on throwing strikes and letting the defense work behind me.”
Chilhowie’s offense was also on point and Brent Kilbourne – the second batter of the game – smashed a two-run homer off Owen Jackson to give the Warriors an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
“That was huge,” Jeff Robinson said. “That gave us a lot of momentum and a lot of confidence. That 30-pitch first inning helped too.”
Owen Jackson labored for much of the day as he allowed four runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings with four walks and six strikeouts. He threw 71 pitches.
“He struggled with his control,” Derrick Jackson said.
Chilhowie wasn't intimidated by the hard-throwing 6-foot-5 righty.
“We hit off a pitching machine all week in preparing to face him,” Bryce Robinson said. “Straight fastballs. I thought we did a good job of that.”
Trailing 3-2, Chilhowie took the lead for good by scoring twice in the top of the fourth inning on RBI doubles by Bryce Robinson and Jayden Schwartz.
Gavin Walker added a crucial two-run double in the fifth inning to extend the lead, hammering a 2-2 pitch from Haislip, the second of three pitchers used by the Pioneers.
“I tried not to feel too much pressure and anything close you have to hit it,” Walker said. “I went through the same thing in a similar spot against Patrick Henry [in the Region 1D finals] and struck out looking. I wasn’t going to do that again.”
How big was that hit?
“I told him that was the best at-bat of his career,” Jeff Robinson said.
Every Chilhowie starter reached base at least once with Walker and Chapman finishing with two hits apiece.
The Warriors had posted a 9-8 walk-off win over Fort in the 2024 state quarterfinals. Four guys who started in that game for Chilhowie were in the lineup for the rematch.
“I’ll take that experience any day,” Jeff Robinson said. “You can’t replace that.”
Meanwhile, Fort Chiswell (18-5) has just two seniors on its roster. Owen Jackson, Phillips and Cooper Davis each had hits for the Pioneers.
“We’ll learn from this and get better,” Derrick Jackson said.
Teams in the VHSL’s smallest classification are learning that Tyler Gonzalez and Bryce Robinson are a terrific twosome.
Bryce Robinson needed a mere six pitches to get the final three outs in the bottom of the seventh thanks to two groundballs and a flyout to right fielder Brycen Sturgill.
It secured a trip to Salem and preserved the win for his fellow fearless freshman.
“I’ve played with Tyler my whole life,” Bryce Robinson said. “I love having him on the mound. You know you’re always going to get a good start from him.”
Chilhowie 200 221 0—7 8 1
Fort Chiswell 030 000 0—3 11 1
Gonzalez, Br. Robinson (6) and Bowman. Jackson, Haislip (4), Eversole (6) and Davis. W – Gonzalez (8-2). L – Jackson (6-1). S – Br. Robinson (2). HR – Kilbourne (C), 1st, one on.
